Transport companies differentiate with technology

Next week in Las Vegas, the luxury coach and transport community will come together at the International LCT Show, where attendees will learn about the current state of the industry and examine some important emerging trends. In light of this upcoming event, let’s take a look at what’s happening in the luxury coach and transport industry and talk about how businesses can use that knowledge to thrive in the current landscape.

The right GPS tracking technology can help companies with each and every one of these distinctive factors. By using an integrated, easy-to-use platform to give their business a boost and push forward in the automated world, they can fully take advantage of what’s on the horizon.

Connectivity and AI take business to the next level

The luxury transportation industry is one that can truly benefit from enhanced connectivity, and the opportunity now exists for these businesses to turn data into actionable insights that can fuel operational improvements. Limos and coaches could soon be fully connected to the Internet, allowing companies much more insight into how they are behaving and eliminating last-minute maintenance woes that could take a vehicle out of commission.

Additionally, 5G is soon expected to deliver mobile data speeds significantly faster than today’s 4G wireless technology. A potential outcome of the move to 5G connectivity is the use of vehicles as the centerpiece of a mobile work environment. This will allow service industry vehicles to function as a single point of contact for all types of mobile workforce connectivity, providing a new level of service to the modern discerning customer.

Customers in this industry also demand unfailing on-time service. By allowing managers to see exactly where their drivers are, map routes most effectively and generate reports to help constantly fuel business improvements, GPS tracking technology enables stellar customer service like never before. This, in turn, allows businesses to delight their existing customers with accurate time windows, efficient service and fast response times—and win new business by doing what their competition can’t.

Driverless cars move the industry forward

The next piece of the industry puzzle seems to be autonomous vehicles. According to The Guardian, while autonomous vehicles are at currently “stuck at level two on the scale, in which the driver must still perform several key aspects of driving,” there is much more autonomy on the horizon. Researchers say they are working on “sensor-based systems to provide an answer and move towards level three, in which the driver would only be expected to be ready to intervene when the car requests it.”

And as autonomy becomes more prevalent, tracking platforms will grow in importance as companies seek greater insight into ways to keep both drivers and passengers safe. Drivers are busy people, which means that sometimes important things can be overlooked, but near real-time GPS tracking alerts help teams to make sure fleet safety comes first for drivers every day. This technology can monitor, report and deploy alerts about all speeding events and harsh driving incidents, enabling for coachable moments and driver improvements.

Luxury transportation in action: United Private Car

With the right connections, luxury coach and transport businesses can see enhanced efficiency, customer satisfaction and driver safety. Let’s take a look at how one business, United Private Car, utilized advanced GPS tracking technology to improve service and differentiate themselves from the competition in three major areas:

1. Efficient routing: The dispatch team at United Private Car needed to know where every vehicle was, their status and the routes they traveled. With REVEAL, dispatchers can log in to see vehicle and driver location and make any necessary adjustments to routes or scheduling that uncontrollable factors—such as traffic and airport delays—may cause. This level of visbility ensures drivers aren’t late (something customers hate!) and that they’re taking the best, most efficient route each and every time.

2. Fuel savings: Fuel is at the heart of the luxury transportation business, and the impact of wasted fuel on the bottom line can be significant. From excessively long idle times to inefficient fleet routes and vehicles kept running all day, there’s often room for improvement across the board. Using REVEAL, United Private Car was able to make drivers more aware of how much fuel they were going through and change those behaviors for more efficient driving, saving both time and money.

3. Safety every day: The direct and indirect costs of ignoring safety can be extremely high. Drivers may be injured, vehicles damaged, insurance premiums raised and reputations tarnished. For fleet managers in the limo and coach industry, safety is a complicated topic to tackle with drivers, and once an accident happens, it can and will have long-term negative effects. At United Private Car, the team uses alerts to monitor harsh driving behavior and speeding occurrences, and sets benchmarks for what they consider acceptable driving behavior.

With multiple vehicles on the road at any given time, luxury fleets need an all-inclusive solution to help monitor driver location, safety and fuel usage while staying up-to-date on the latest technology. Find out more about how Verizon Connect can help here.